About Us
We're a black-owned family business
Our Story
We are the FTR brothers, Nic, Josh, and Austin Thompson. We were raised in Florida but family is Jamaican, specifically from Ocho Rios, and many of them migrated to the US 40 years ago to build a better life.
They did just that and reinforced the importance of family, which should always grow together. We grew up with faith and determination in our hearts to uplift the people around us, but never thought it would come through one big decision...
The Big Decision
In 2015, Nic and Josh made the big decision to start growing out their freeform locs and immediately received backlash from everyone. Despite all forms of criticism, they learned to love their natural hair and embraced the journey!
Little did anyone understand, a work of art was slowly being formed on their heads. As their locs began to grow and mature, they underestimated the importance of natural residue-conscious products, specifically shampoo. This helped spark a new journey...
The Idea Started Forming
As young black brothers with bigger-than-life goals, they were eager to start a business together. A mentor of theirs recommended that they start something from a need that they’re passionate about. The seed was planted.
In 2018, they started growing the FreeTheRoots community, not realizing how much it would actually grow. Their sole aim was to personally assist individuals in their community by giving them reliable advice on how to take care of their natural hair and skin. The passion grew stronger and stronger every day! There was one problem, product recommendations…
The Birth Of Our First Product Line
Josh and Nic were stuck recommending shampoos like [bleep] and [bleep], which were natural but either drying or not the most residue-conscious. They had no choice but to enter the product making business.
After more than half a year of relentless product development, they perfected a few soap bar recipes that were perfect shampoo replacements! In 2019, they were released and immediately loved deeply by our niche community.
Operations were extremely small, operating out of their mom’s house!
The Brother Trio Complete
During the end of 2021, FreeTheRoots was growing (slowly but surely). The final FTR brother, Austin, was fresh out of college sports and ready to help bring the business to the next level. All 3 FTR brothers were able to bring the brand to the next level in 2022, establishing us as a force to be reckoned with in our broader community! Plus, FreeTheRoots was finally operating in a facility the brothers have always dreamed of.
WHAT'S OUR GOAL?
We firmly believe in community and our primary goal is to spread love to all people. One way we spread love is by giving our community exactly what they need to maximize their hair and skin health! That's the reason we added Aloe Hydrating Mists and ACV Rinses to our product line, with much more to come in the future.
Our community is our top priority and everything we offer will always be for their benefit. If you join our community, we dedicate ourselves to walk alongside you through your natural journey! After all, the community came long before the products. Join our story and let us be a part of yours!